https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqrm90n3m90po
“Scars caused to rare seahorse habitats by boat anchors off the Dorset coast
are starting to heal, thanks to the installation of new moorings.
In 2021, Studland Bay Marine Partnership began installing the first of dozens
of eco-moorings in a bid to reverse damage to delicate seagrass meadows.
A new scientific study has now provided the first evidence that eco-moorings
can help restore seagrass, with some scars shrinking by more than 90% over four
years.
David Brown, chair of the partnership steering group, called the results
"incredibly exciting", adding: "The impact has been beyond our expectations."
Seagrass habitats store carbon, support biodiversity and help protect
coastlines from erosion, but are declining globally due to pollution,
development, disturbance and climate change.
The research, conducted by Kira Dunn as part of her MSc in Marine Biology with
Oceanography at the University of Southampton, analysed monitoring data
collected since the first eco-moorings were installed.
Using sonar surveys, historical satellite imagery and five years of monitoring
data, the study tracked recovery across 39 damaged areas of seabed.
In the area where 10 trial eco-moorings were installed in 2021, the size of
bare patches in the seagrass decreased by an average of 93.6% between 2021 and
2025, shrinking by around 57 sq m each year.
In a second study area, where traditional chain moorings remained until 2023,
the scars reduced by 65.4%, around 15.9 sq m a year.”
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
